The OSCE presented a report on the situation in Belarus within the framework of the Moscow Mechanism – the working method of the OSCE in the field of the human dimension, initiated by the participating countries in 1991. There are currently at least 1,486 political prisoners in Belarus. Over the past two years, a number of laws have been passed that are interpreted so broadly that they can be used to suppress almost any form of opposition activity. This was stated by US Ambassador to the OSCE Michael Carpenter during a briefing. He noted that, according to unofficial data, people are arrested and imprisoned not only for posting a different point of view from the official point of view on social networks, but simply for accessing information that does not correspond to the official course from their devices.
“The report speaks of human rights violations that occur regularly, including the regular use of torture against detainees, inhuman and degrading conditions of detention, impunity for abuses and violations, the lack of an independent judiciary and fair trials,” he said at a press briefing. Michael Carpenter, US Ambassador to the OSCE.
He noted that these conditions are more difficult for political prisoners, many of whom cannot receive basic medical care.
“The regime takes revenge on its own people and Belarusians are regularly persecuted for their participation in protests. Earlier this week in Belarus, blogger Nikolai Klimovich died in a prison near Vitebsk after being denied medication for a heart condition. He was accused of posting a satirical cartoon of Alexander Lukashenko on social media. The United States calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners,” he added.
Michael Carpenter also answered a question from journalists about the possibility of bringing Alexander Lukashenko to justice for facilitating a full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine.
“Many countries in the international community want to be held accountable. The United States has taken unprecedented steps to work with the International Criminal Court to support its efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice,” he said.
“The United States has also invested heavily in building the capacity of Ukraine’s Attorney General’s Office to improve its ability to prosecute. We are also working on the creation of an international tribunal which could judge the crime of aggression. There are also other mechanisms. Some countries can use universal jurisdiction in their courts to bring to justice those who are involved, either in Belarus or in Russia, in this war of aggression against Ukraine. Therefore, we will use all possible means,” added Michael Carpenter.
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